Lecture Notes: Biomedical Science

This brand new Lecture Notes title provides the core
biomedical science study and revision material that medical
students need to know. Matching the common systems-based approach
taken by the majority of medical schools, it provides concise,
student-led content that is rooted in clinical relevance. The book
is filled with learning features such as key definitions and key
conditions, and is cross-referenced to develop interdisciplinary
awareness. Although designed predominantly for medical students,
this new Lecture Notes book is also useful for students of
dentistry, pharmacology and nursing.

"Each chapter moves concisely through the appropriate science,
highlighting its relevance to clinical practice. The information is
well presented and easy to navigate." (Oxford Medical School
Gazette, 2011)

"This new book in the Lecture Notes series covers most of
the important areas in biomedical sciences relevant to any doctor
of tomorrow. It is a condensation of the essentials of the Oxford
undergraduate pre-clinical medical course. Chapters on the broader
areas of the curriculum such as ‘Cell biology’,
‘Molecular biology’ and ‘Anatomy’ are
followed by chapters that take more of a systems approach e.g.
‘Cardiovascular’, ‘Respiratory’ and
‘Gastrointestinal’ etc. The necessary chapters on
‘Immunology’, ‘Microbiology’ and even
‘Statistics’, are also included.

Style
The aim of the author is to provide: ‘A resource of the
essential facts, without too much additional detail’. The
classic Lecture Notes format of short prose and bullet
points alongside simple diagrams is used. This is achieved well
with the addition of useful ‘Definition’ and
‘Clinical’ significance boxes throughout the text which
are helpfully colour coded. There is no bulky text and subheadings
clearly and logically breakup the information making is easy to
digest. Diagrams are simple, colourful and informative. Most
chapters come in at a very readable 20 pages long.

The Good - This book provides the essential facts in most
of the topics that medical students and future doctors will be
expected to be well versed in. Each chapter moves concisely through
the appropriate science, highlighting its relevance to clinical
practice. The information is well presented and easy to navigate.
Diagrams have been intentionally kept simple whilst retaining the
most important information as to make them easily reproducible in
the exam situation. The diagrams in the anatomy sections of the
book are of particular merit, managing to be both simple yet
information rich. The addition of a chapter on statistics is a nice
and highly appropriate addition to this, and indeed any, medical
sciences text.

The Bad - Although very readable, in my opinion, this
book is found a little wanting on content. When compared to texts
of a similar ilk such as the Oxford Handbook of Medical Sciences,
which also has the advantage of being more compact, this becomes
apparent. Common to other texts in the Lecture Notes series,
the style can be somewhat uninspiring in places. Although aiming at
essential facts I think this book would benefit from slightly more
detail in some areas, more as a facilitator in the understanding of
the basics, even if it is not retained by the reader.

Personal Recommendation - This book follows in the
footsteps of others that attempt to condense the medical
undergraduate course into a single book – something that it
achieves well given its primary aim of providing a text of
essential facts. If you are a clinical student looking to touch up
on only the undergraduate essentials in a particular area then this
is the book for you. On the other hand if you aspire to more than
just the basics then investing in a larger combined physiology and
anatomy text may be required for the broader picture to be
seen.

Rating: 8/10

by Nicholas Sunderland, 5th Year Medical Student, Oxford
University Medical School Gazette

Instructors

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